How to Get Bonus Love from God the Father & Jesus
John 14:21
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"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
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Since we know that God and Jesus already love us, this conditional promise has to be something else. It is additional love. Therefore, even though largely unknown, this might be one of the greatest promises in the Bible.
True, we hardly know how to deal with God’s regular love, love that is greater than we can understand and more than we deserve.
Yet, who, in their right mind, would not want this extra love, this extra grace?
Add to that the promise that Jesus will reveal Himself to us in additional ways.
This is quite a promise!
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extra love from God the Father
extra love from Jesus our Savior Jesus will manifest Himself in special ways |
Wow!
However, the promise has a pre-condition. We must love Jesus in the way that he requests. The promise is null and void if we do not.
If this extra love and additional personal revelation of Jesus to us is related, as we contend, to obeying the command to love our inner circle as Jesus deeply, intimately, and intentionally loved his disciples, then there is a logical explanation of what that love and revelation is. It comes out of the very act of obeying. It is the love of sincerely significant Christian relationships. Through those relationships of Christians closest to us, God the Father and Jesus our Savior love us more. And, Jesus in our closest Christian friends, spouse and family are the extra manifestations of our Lord to us.
If we break down biblical love into the 65 Togethers of Scripture (and it could have been 60 or 70), we can see how God would make His extra love and revelation through others.
Therefore, it just naturally follows that to get the extra love promised in John 14:21, we must obey the Scriptures that have to do with Christian relationships.
However, the promise has a pre-condition. We must love Jesus in the way that he requests. The promise is null and void if we do not.
If this extra love and additional personal revelation of Jesus to us is related, as we contend, to obeying the command to love our inner circle as Jesus deeply, intimately, and intentionally loved his disciples, then there is a logical explanation of what that love and revelation is. It comes out of the very act of obeying. It is the love of sincerely significant Christian relationships. Through those relationships of Christians closest to us, God the Father and Jesus our Savior love us more. And, Jesus in our closest Christian friends, spouse and family are the extra manifestations of our Lord to us.
If we break down biblical love into the 65 Togethers of Scripture (and it could have been 60 or 70), we can see how God would make His extra love and revelation through others.
Therefore, it just naturally follows that to get the extra love promised in John 14:21, we must obey the Scriptures that have to do with Christian relationships.
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If you are concerned about the same things we are, we invite you to join our Advisory Team. This means that we will occasionally send you emails asking your thoughts about an issue we are thinking through. If you would like to be a part of our team, please email Dick Wulf at Dick@Wulf.com and let him know of your willingness to help.
__________________________________________________________________________________
If you are concerned about the same things we are, we invite you to join our Advisory Team. This means that we will occasionally send you emails asking your thoughts about an issue we are thinking through. If you would like to be a part of our team, please email Dick Wulf at Dick@Wulf.com and let him know of your willingness to help.
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Copyright 2012 Dick Wulf, Colorado, USA